DRPA panel approves rail study contract

Advancing a long-proposed Camden-to-Glassboro passenger rail line took a step forward Wednesday with approval by the Delaware River Port Authority’s finance committee of an $8.3 million contract to conduct an environmental impact study on the 18-mile route.

Meeting in Camden, the committee recommended that STV Incorporated be awarded a contract estimated to take 59,000 man hours and over two years to complete.

The proposal is set to go before the full DRPA commission for a final vote on Feb. 15.

The train line is estimated to cost $1.5 billion and would take upwards of five years to build, once a final design is made. The award expected to go to STV also includes coming up with a conceptual design.

The DRPA has been pushing for the rail line since 2003, although it has said it does not want to own or operate the system.

Finance Committee Chair Jeffrey Nash likened the agency’s involvement at this point as a “project manager.”

NJ Transit is to pay STV for work performed, should the contract be let.

Nash asserted no toll dollars were being used for the study.

DRPA Chief Engineer Michael Venuto noted the only cost the agency is picking up is part of a salary for one of his engineers. The engineer is spending approximately 10 hours of his average workweek engaged on the Camden to Glassboro project, Venuto said.